Cold Caffeine and a Writing Dream

I really thought this year would be different. 

That I would write more, blog more, be more. 

But change is slow, and if you don't keep very detailed records, you might not see it. 

Of course, you don't need detailed records when your blog shows that you wrote three posts in January, and nothing else in 2018. 

November isn't too late to set New Year's resolutions, is it? 

P.S. This angsty slam poem brought to you by Dr. Pepper and no heat. 

P.P.S. I read this over once and didn't edit it. Sometimes it's just nice to be fast and loose with your words. 

Hygge, Vol. 1

It was a dark and stormy night. Well, it is, not was, since it’s still today. And it’s not exactly stormy. It’s overcast, and although it’s been raining off and on, all is quiet now. But it is dark. Because it’s almost 6pm in January. It’s so strange how during the summer 6 feels early, like I still have half a day. But during the winter, it’s like, well, just about bedtime. 

I should be editing. Someone tell me to get to editing.  

January Recap

Since it's already a week into February, I guess I should post my little January recap. 2015 started off with a bang as I finished the holiday season, traveled back to Provo, and then headed off to Las Vegas for a work trip. 

Back in Provo I settled in for a long, cold winter. Surprisingly, the weather has been springlike, and we spent a few afternoons in the park. In January! 

Sunday afternoon in the park with a flying machine for Luke and my new adventure 

pack-sack from Ty and Charlotte.

I've gotten back in the habit of reading, finishing Pretty is what Changes by Jessica Queller, and starting on Yes Please! by Amy Poehler. 

I watched too much Netflix, including finishing Friends, Muppets Most Wanted, and The Hobbit.

Although I put up my new years resolutions just recently, I was making progress on them before that. We spent an evening with some couple friends while we were in Vegas and I hung out with an old friend up near Salt Lake. Luke and I went on small dates each week. My favourite was when we went out for lunch on a Friday. We also went on one big date, to see BYU's musical production of The Count of Monte Cristo. 

And just for fun, here are a few things that I found fun and interesting: 

I bought this London planner, and I love it!

This list of things to do alone really caught my eye. Because sometimes it's nice to just be by yourself.

I'm not sure this counts, with the non-winter we've been having, but I get grumpy when I'm cold...

via Buzzfeed

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

It's been a long, wonderful summer. I've taken several trips, eaten too many snow cones, and had one bad sunburn. I should probably also mention that I started a new job in May. But I don't really have any pictures of that. 

It started with my brother's wedding back in June. 

I think this was our first picture together since NYC

Then I got a new phone. And took my first selfie. 

Dum de dum de dum. Coming home from work. 

And we went to Bear Lake for a long weekend. 

The beach

Sunset in Bear Lake 

In July we went back to Southern Alberta for a family reunion. 

Alfalfa fields in my parent's backyard

Luke and a kitty!

Hiking break in Waterton

My favourite sister!

We went back to Bear Lake in August for more family shenanigans. 

Beach photo!

At the secret lake, pointing at the future location for our dream summer home

The last weekend in August, Luke and I went on a picnic up Provo Canyon. And I learned how to use the panorama feature on my phone. 

Almost-eaten picnic

Valley selfie

My first successful panorama! I moved from left to right...

I'm still in denial that summer is ending. 

Summer Slacker

I have been horribly remiss in posting anything remotely interesting here in weeks and weeks. And, terribly enough, I'm not going to post anything here tonight. Instead, have something funny, and hopefully soon I'll have some pictures to share, a few stories to tell, and maybe even a helpful list or two. 

I may possibly feel like this puppy. 

Back to Regular Scheduled Programming?

Since leaving for New York {and even a bit before that}, I've been focusing solely on that particular adventure. At the time, it made sense, since that's what I was doing with my life. But now, looking back, I wish that I'd written more personal anecdotes in addition to the travel-related posts. After all, that's what a blog is for, right? So for those who are interested, here's some random nonsense that I feel like writing just because. 

I've been going through phases of wanting to set ALL THE GOALS and then deciding that maybe taking things one at a time is going to be much more productive. Or maybe just not setting any goals at all. 

It feels really good being at home and not having any major events coming up in the near future. I've had some good adventures, and now I'm ready to not have any. Well, maybe just some mild adventures. 

At 25, I still feel like I'm still trying to figure myself out. Some days I wear old band shirts and jeans, and other days I wear maxi skirts and cardigans. Sometimes I do yoga, and sometimes I see how many muffins I can eat in one sitting. At one point, I thought it was a quarter life crisis. But the more I think about it, the more I think that maybe that's just what life is - trying different things to see if you like them or not. 

I've been reading voraciously since getting back. We've been home almost a month, and I'm on my 5th book. It feels so good. 

BYU's graduation is this week, and then most of the students will leave for the summer. It's my favourite time of year when the city empties out. 

Lately I've been feeling very cautious. Not scared or afraid, just, like I'm doing things too deliberately. As if I'm taking myself too seriously. I need to not do that. Adventure and mistakes make things interesting. 

I pinned a funny cat gif on Pinterest, and people have been re-pinning it and following me like crazy. I feel like a very minor celebrity. And now I feel dumb for typing that out.

_________________________________________________________________

I Got Spam

Like everyone else, I get a lot of spam in my inbox. Or maybe not like everyone else, since I don't have a gmail account. Anyway, today was no exception. When I checked my email, there it was. "Info:security measure, we regularly screen activity in the system". Sounds pretty spammy, right?

Only, the sender was me.  Since I've never sent myself spam before, my hackles went up. It appeared to be sent by PayPal, and said that my account was compromised because someone had tried to log in too many times without success. That sounded weird to me, especially since I haven't used PP in years. I was also a little suspicious, since the form didn't use my name, and had fairly poor grammar.

So I googled it. 

Turns out, there's this thing, called a form-spoof. It's where spammers use your email address to send you spam. Since you rarely {if ever} block your own address, the spam email is much more likely to go through, compared to other addresses. 

For anyone else who was taken in like I was, you rest easy. You're not the victim of identity theft, nor is your PayPal account going into lockdown. Although it might be a good idea to log in and just make sure. 

I found this article to be really helpful in all of this. 

A Gloomy Tuesday

I woke up with a bit of a cold today. Then, it was cloudy, a bit windy, and much cooler than it has been {even for October}. Work has slowed down a bit, and there's a pile of laundry to do. Today has been a bit gloomy.

Too bad I'm not living in London. Most days in London are overcast, so it would just be a regular day. I could sit by the window and drink mug after mug of tea and eat Scottish shortbread. I could go out on a walk in one of the many parks and crunch leaves under my feet. Afterwards I could come back to my flat, have a hot bath, and watch the BBC. 

Why does everything, even being cold and sick, seem more glamorous in London? 

{source}

{no original source found}

{via}

Online Nonsense

I spend a lot of time online, both for work and for everything else. Here's what I found interesting this week. 

I love this website for random life hacks and home improvements. While I'm not exactly off-beat, I'm not a Martha Stewart, either. 

My favourite band, Yellowcard, released an acoustic album to celebrate their 10th anniversary. You can listen to the whole thing here. This is one of the first bands that I really loved, and they just keep getting better with time. 

This sweater is perfect for the almost-fall season that's currently going on. Too bad it's out of stock. It comes in lots of other colours, though, so all is not lost. 

My good friend Ashley shared this list with me yesterday, and it cracked me up. When we were living in London a few summers ago, we were definitely No. 3. 

Although I claim to be a writer, I'm not actually very good at following through on anything I do. Mostly my writing is lists and story starts. I've been working harder to be more dedicated, and in the process I've found a lot of resources. I just found a new writing blog, and I'm finding it really helpful, especially her 'inspiration' tag. 

And here's something absolutely ridiculous. You're welcome. 

An Update {Sort Of}

I haven't posted in a really long time. Part of that was because our basement flooded. Then we went out of town. And then we went out of town again. I have pictures to share and stories to tell, but not today. So enjoy this instead. Because it's funny. 

Too Much TV Can Make You Want to Change Your Life

Maybe I've been watching too much Grey's Anatomy, but the idea of working in the medical field is starting to seem like a pretty interesting idea. I am actually considering it. If you heart stopped while reading that, too bad. I don't know how to work a defibrillator. 

All Caught Up {I Think}

Despite the fact that it's April, I'm in my furry vest, with a blanket, and hot chocolate, trying to stay warm. 

Utah springs aren't much of springs at all.

My Trip Home

Did you like how I wrote a post about catching up, and then didn't write for almost a week? Sorry about that. Time has just been getting away from me lately. So, here's what's been going on. 

Almost two weeks ago, I went home. My little brother came home from his mission, and I really wanted to see him again. My dad was super awesome, and helped me pay for a plane ticket. Usually when I go home, I drive. But since I had to make the trip myself, flying was much safer than driving for 12 hours all by my self. Can I just say how awesome it is to go home in less than a day? Seriously. It's the best. 

Being home was great. I didn't get a lot accomplished, but I got in some good family time. And some good sleeping. Because I'm lazy. I also got attacked by a glass of ginger beer. It's a good story, although kind of embarrassing  Essentially, I drank too much beer too fast, and I developed a cough. Then it morphed into a cold, and I'm still sick. Rats.

Another highlight was taking my brother shopping for some real clothes. He's not much of a shopper, but he needed some new things pretty badly. My sister and I drug him all over, and he got a bit cranky. But we were in public, so he couldn't get too upset. 

Although I love my husband, and love my friends in Provo, leaving home is always hard. Hopefully I'll be back this summer (with Luke) for an extended trip. For real though. There is nothing better than a Southern Alberta sunset. Or spring. Or summer. Or anything. 

I suppose that in a post about seeing my brother, I should have written about him a bit more. Here's all you need to know, really. He's been gone for 2 years, and hasn't changed a bit. Not a bit. I'm not particularly surprised. 

What I Learned While Working Today

So it turns out that there is no difference between whiskey and scotch. It's all in the location. In fact, it goes kind of like this: 

Scotch is to whiskey

as 

Champaign is to sparkling wine

Just don't ask about bourbon, gin, and tequila. I'm still trying to figure those ones out. 

What I'm Watching: Online TV Version

You know how there's some shows, and no matter how many times you watch them, you still love it? You never get tired of the characters or plot or dialog, even if you've already seen each episode 20 times? There are a handful of shows that I feel that way about. Here's what I'm watching over and over again. 



The Office 

I'm sure this will come as a surprise to no one. I post clips and pictures here all the time. I often quote it in real life, too. There's just something about the way the characters are set up that I love. They all seem real to me; they have clear motivations, interests, and back stories. Most of the time, there's good development in ways that make sense. Plus, it's hilarious. It always picks me up when I'm in a bad mood. And the best part, every season is on Netflix {not counting the current season that's running on TV}. 

Gilmore Girls 

Again, this should come as no surprise. I've been watching this show for years. I love the characters, and most of the plot. I think the writing is very clever, and that it is very well performed. While it can be dramatic, there are lots of lighthearted moments, and some downright funny scenes. It has a bit of everything, which is why I find it so appealing. I have six of seven seasons on DVD {the last one doesn't exist, in my opinion}, and sometimes I watch them online, too. My favourite thing about the show, I think, is the one liners.

Fawlty Towers 

Those who are well versed in British TV comedy should be familiar with this John Cleese hilarity. It's one of the funniest shows I've ever seen. It's about a hotel owner who hates people, and his wife, who hates him. Filled with dark British humour and witticisms, it will keep you entertained for days. Keep in mind, it is dark British humour, and can be wildly inappropriate. But that's the best part. I believe it's on Netflix instant streaming. Or you can suck it up and buy it (because it's only one season long)

The Big Bang Theory 

I didn't start watching this show until it had run through a few seasons. But it's very witty, and the characters are interesting. Sometimes it can feel like the same jokes are being played over and over. But every so often, a line is delivered with the perfect comedic timing, and it's just hilarious. If you watch carefully, you can actually learn some sciency stuff, too. 

Goo Hoarding

I forgot to include this when I did my first "resolutions" post in January, but it's {mostly) the start of a new month, so this seems like a good time to write about it. I didn't coin the term, but it describes exactly what I've been doing. Goo hoarding is when you collect, well, goo. Shampoos, lotions, body wash, lip gloss, all that good stuff tends to pile up. When we moved last summer, I noticed just how much I had, and since then, it's only continued to grow. 

I've been working on this for a few weeks now. I'm trying to worth through my stash and use what I have beforeI buy more. There are a whole lot of samples, and I'm not entirely sure where they came from. But I've started to use them. I put a few little lotions by my bed and hotel shampoos and conditioners are in the shower. The lip gloss situation is resolving itself, because I haven't bough myself any in months. When I put them out where I can see them, they get used a lot more than when they're tucked away in a drawer somewhere. As an added bonus, I feel like I'm pampering myself all the time {most of my sample stuff is for products I don't buy because they're out of my price range}. 

The hope is that once I work through it all, I come away with a few favourites. Then, in the future, I won't have to buy so many things, because I'll know what I like. 

Are there any other goo hoarders out there? Or am I alone in this crazy?  

Are You Free For Dinner Tonight?

This is probably my most favourite TV moment. Ever. 

I Hate You

Just when I think that maybe winter isn't so bad, the clouds send forth freezing rain, making my driveway and all the sidewalks into skating rinks. 

I slipped. Thrice. 

Winter, I hate you, and I can't wait until March. 

Top 5: Good Ideas

This is one of my most random boards. Here I've collected anything and everything that will either make my life easier or more interesting. I've got lots pinned, so go check it out. 

Disclaimer: I did not come up with these. Everything here is the result of someone else's brilliance. I linked to their respective websites below the photos. If there's a problem, let me know. 

1. Putting all your mementos from a trip into a jar. This keeps clutter to a minimum while protecting your souvenirs and displaying them at the same time. What's the point in bringing home awesome stuff if you never get to see it?

{Source}

2. The William Sonoma simmering.....business. I don't know what to call it. You simmer it on top of your stove, and it smells good. I haven't actually done this, but the internet says good things about it. 

{Source}

3. An awesome way to store/display your scarves. Hang up a towel rod, then tie your scarves to it. I have a bunch of scarves, and would love to do this, if I wasn't worried about adding even more holes to a wall that I down own. 

{Source}

4. Lazy Girl workouts. This girl has a bunch of easy ways to sneak in a little exercise throughout the day. I'm not super great at this, but hey, at least I'm trying. Go check out the other ones {link below the picture}. 

{Source}

5. I've had kind of a hard time decorating our bedroom since we've been married. In our first apartment, that was okay, since it was a studio, and we didn't have a legit bedroom. I'm cutting myself a bit of slack in our current house, because we're super-poor, and can't afford anything nice. That's why this list so so great. Most of them are free, or really cheap, so I feel like I can finally have a nice bedroom. Anyway, here it is. 

{Source}

And there you have it. Some of my favourite good ideas from around the web. If you have any "good ideas", leave them in the comments, I'd love to see!

Not Quite Myself

Today has been one of those strange backwards days that feels like it doesn't really belong in your life. You know what I mean? Where you feel like you're living someone else's life.  Maybe it starts out with a small step outside of your comfort zone. You tried something new, and then things just spiraled out of control. 

It's just been a really weird day. And I can't get focused. 

Turns out, hot chocolate and a cupcake really help.